County Commission Meets Tonight

The Sumner County Commission meets tonight and will take up the matter of the School Board's proposed budget.

The Commission has four choices: 1) Pass the "cuts" budget that eliminates 91 jobs and cuts $5 million from the system budget. 2) Pass the amended "cuts" budget that retains bookkeepers and athletic trainers for the remainder of this year 3) Pass the Board's original request, rejected by the budget committee, that includes ZERO cuts and fully funds the school system including textbook replacement and other needs. No one would lose their job and the Board would be able to retain a responsible amount in its reserve fund to address a potential shortfall next year. 4) None of the above. The County Commission could reject all the budget options and direct the Board to start again.

Some Commissioners have repeatedly stated they will never support a property tax increase. Those Commissioners are likely to choose Option 2 (no taxes, ONLY causes 51 jobs to be lost). Other Commissioners may be open to a small tax increase -- 15 cents would make up the $5 million needed to fund the Board's original budget. That would mean roughly $63 a year for the average Sumner County property owner.

Some suggest a larger issue is Sumner County's insufficient support for schools over time. Sumner spends roughly $900 less per student than the state average. The systems in Tennessee with consistently high academic achievement (the Top 10) spend an average of $1800 more per student than Sumner.

It promises to be an interesting meeting with TV cameras and news reporters once again focused on the "crisis" in Sumner County.